from The Frontline
London, UK
Contribution provided on behalf of Pamper Our Heroes
Covid Through my eyes
To volunteer was no big deal
It’s part of what I do,
I intubate the trachea, and look for CO2,
It came as no surprise therefore as we began this
Pandemic,
That as intubation teams were formed
I was in team-MERIT
The anxiety around PPE
Was evident in all around,
But due to the high risk our job
Masks and visors were thankfully found
The people being intubated,
Were scared and often alone,
When we came to intubate them,
They were having conversations on the phone
We tried to be reassuring,
To tell them we’ll take care,
We insist that we’ll look after them,
That someone will always be there
The fear was evident inside their eyes,
The windows to their soul,
The emotional impact of this job
Was not evident when I took on this role
The sacred moments before they sleep,
The Silence of Preoxygenaton,
An audible Pulse oximeter beep,
The soundtrack to their hibernation
Each statistic that you read about,
Is a person, it’s a life
The lines upon the graphs you view
Could be someone’s husband, someone’s wife
There will be lessons learned from this,
New science and new publications,
This tragedy has brought us together I hope,
From all affected nation
We will get through this somehow,
Life will find a way,
But when we are sagely on the other side,
Many goodbyes we’ll have had to say.
So hug your loved ones, keep your spirits up,
Wash your hands and stay at home,
The light is visible at the end of the tunnel,
Remember- you are not alone.
